The role of moderating factors in user technology acceptance

Along with increasing investments in new technologies, user technology acceptance becomes a frequently studied topic in the information systems discipline. The last two decades have seen user acceptance models being proposed, tested, refined, extended and unified. These models have contributed to our understanding of user technology acceptance factors and their relationships. Yet they have also presented two limitations: the relatively low explanatory power and inconsistent influences of the factors across studies. Several researchers have recently started to examine the potential moderating effects that may overcome these limitations. However, studies in this direction are far from being conclusive. This study attempts to provide a systematic analysis of the explanatory and situational limitations of existing technology acceptance studies. Ten moderating factors are identified and categorized into three groups: organizational factors, technological factors and individual factors. An integrative model is subsequently established, followed by corresponding propositions pertaining to the moderating factors.     

Internet use and college adjustment: the moderating role of gender

We examined the links between Internet use and college adjustment in a sample (n=272) of college undergraduate students and whether gender moderated these links. Internet use was assessed using three scales: hours online, social use, and negative aspects of use. Internet use was a consistent predictor of college adjustment. Hours online was unrelated to college adjustment. Social use was positively associated with college adjustment, but only for males. Negative aspects of use was associated with poorer adjustment regardless of participant gender. Results are interpreted in light of current research.     

Computer training, frequency of usage and burnout: the moderating role of computer self-efficacy

The main aim of this paper is to test the moderating role of computer self-efficacy in the relationship among computer training, frequency of usage and burnout (i.e. exhaustion and cynicism). The sample was made up of 140 workers using computer-aided technology in their jobs. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were carried out. Results show that frequency of usage and computer training are positively associated with computer self-efficacy. Futhermore, we found interaction effects between computer training×computer self-efficacy on both indicators of burnout as outcomes. Computer self-efficacy moderated the relationship between computer training and burnout. Limitations of the study and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Translating user control availability into perception: the moderating role of prior experience

On a basic level, perception of user control over media content should be partially a function of control option availability. At the same time, prior user experience with control options should interact with control availability to produce joint effects on control perception. To assess these ideas, we present experimental data from 101 University students in the United States. Participants engaged a documentary in one of three ways: by simply watching the documentary, by watching the documentary with the option of using typical VCR-type controls (such as fast-forward or reverse), or by watching and having available both VCR-type controls and scene sequencing control. Data support our hypotheses. While there was a generally positive relationship between exposure to user control options and user control perception across all participants, those participants with relatively less prior experience with Internet-based applications demonstrated a somewhat different relationship between control availability and control perception.     

Qualitative differences in computer experience,computer anxiety,and students' use of computers: A path model

Biographical information (age and gender) was obtained on 180 first year psychology students along with self-report measures relating to computer use. The measures were: age of initial introduction to computers; qualitative aspects of early computer experience (how relaxed and unpressured the experience was and the extent to which the individual had felt ‘in control’ and competent during the experience); level of computer anxiety; current and anticipated future frequency of use of computers. A path model linking the above variables was proposed and tested. Apart from gender, all of the predictor variables exerted direct and/or indirect influences on use made (and expected to be made) of computers. In particular, an early introduction to computers was generally associated with a more favourable quality of initial experience, leading to lower anxiety and greater readiness of students to use computers.     

Qualitative differences in computer experience, computer anxiety, and students' use of computers: A path model

Biographical information (age and gender) was obtained on 180 first year psychology students along with self-report measures relating to computer use. The measures were: age of initial introduction to computers; qualitative aspects of early computer experience (how relaxed and unpressured the experience was and the extent to which the individual had felt ‘in control’ and competent during the experience); level of computer anxiety; current and anticipated future frequency of use of computers. A path model linking the above variables was proposed and tested. Apart from gender, all of the predictor variables exerted direct and/or indirect influences on use made (and expected to be made) of computers. In particular, an early introduction to computers was generally associated with a more favourable quality of initial experience, leading to lower anxiety and greater readiness of students to use computers.     

Emotional expression and modality: an analysis of affective arousal and linguistic output in a computer vs. paper paradigm

The authors hypothesized that writing longhand and typing about a stressful experience are equivalent in terms of emotional arousal and essay content. 168 college students were randomly assigned to describe either a neutral or emotional topic by typing or writing longhand, in a 2×2 factorial design. Compared with students in the neutral conditions, students instructed to describe an emotional topic reported greater negative affect following the writing task and produced essays that contained significantly more personal and psychological content. Consistent with the hypothesis, participants writing longhand and typing were equivalent in the direction and degree of this difference. These findings suggest that at least a portion of the population (i.e. college students) is now comfortable and/or adept in expressing themselves emotionally on a computer.     

Preattentive processing of banner advertisements: The role of modality,location, and interference

This paper deals with the preattentive processing of banner advertisements under competitive interference conditions. In the absence of competitive interference, our experimental results were consistent with hemispheric lateralization: pictorial banner ads were evaluated more positively when positioned on the left (vs. right) side of a webpage, whereas the opposite pattern was observed for verbal banner ads. In contrast, this interaction disappeared in the presence of competitive interference. Specifically, verbal banner ads received more positive evaluations than pictorial ads when they featured products from the same category. In addition, banner ads were more liked when positioned on the left (vs. right) side when they were of the same ad modality.     

Images of self and others as computer users: the role of gender and experience

Abstract Gender differences in the pursuit of technology careers are a current issue of concern. We report on two studies that use surveys, drawings and interviews to examine sixth- and eighth-grade students' perceptions of knowledgeable computer users and their self-perception as a computer-type person. In Study 1, participants were asked to generate representations of computer users in pictures or words. The results indicate that the majority of representations were of male users and they frequently wore glasses. Students of both genders were more likely to draw males. Eighth-grade students' representations included more stereotypical features than those of sixth-grade students. In Study 2, students were asked whether they believed that there was such a thing as a computer-type person and whether they perceived themselves to be one. Eighty per cent of students rejected this characterization. They differed from students who accepted it in their levels of past experience, their confidence, and the probability that they shared their knowledge with others. The results of both studies suggest that while there is a male image of computer science in general, it is not overly negative and students' self-perception is not governed by their own gender as much as by other variables.     

Antecedents of computer self-efficacy: A study of the role of personality traits and gender

Empirical evidence suggests that computer self-efficacy plays an important role in one’s acceptance and use of new information technology. Little is however known about the antecedents of computer self-efficacy. This paper reports on a study of 143 non-users of a self-checkout library system available at a large Canadian university which was conducted to investigate the relationships between stable personality traits and gender with computer self-efficacy. Results indicate that four of the five stable personality traits, as measured by the Big-5 factors of personality, contribute to explain computer self-efficacy. Taking gender into account, results show that the traits of neuroticism, extraversion, and agreeableness are significantly related to computer self-efficacy for women but not for men. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

This computer responds to user frustration:: Theory,design, and results

Use of technology often has unpleasant side effects, which may include strong, negative emotional states that arise during interaction with computers. Frustration, confusion, anger, anxiety and similar emotional states can affect not only the interaction itself, but also productivity, learning, social relationships, and overall well-being. This paper suggests a new solution to this problem: designing human–computer interaction systems to actively support users in their ability to manage and recover from negative emotional states. An interactive affect–support agent was designed and built to test the proposed solution in a situation where users were feeling frustration. The agent, which used only text and buttons in a graphical user interface for its interaction, demonstrated components of active listening, empathy, and sympathy in an effort to support users in their ability to recover from frustration. The agent's effectiveness was evaluated against two control conditions, which were also text-based interactions: (1) users’ emotions were ignored, and (2) users were able to report problems and ‘vent’ their feelings and concerns to the computer. Behavioral results showed that users chose to continue to interact with the system that had caused their frustration significantly longer after interacting with the affect–support agent, in comparison with the two controls. These results support the prediction that the computer can undo some of the negative feelings it causes by helping a user manage his or her emotional state.     

School children's attitudes towards computers as a function of gender, course subjects and availability of home computers

Abstract The attitudes of 328 British Secondary School children towards computers were examined in a cross-sectional survey. Measures of both general attitudes towards computers and affective reactions towards working with computers were examined in relation to the sex of the subject, courses studied (computer related/noncomputer related) and availability of a home computer. A differential pattern of results was observed. With respect to general attitudes towards computers, main effects were found for all three independent variables indicating that more favourable attitudes increased as a function of being male, doing computer courses and having a home computer. In contrast to this, affective reactions to working with computers was primarily related to doing computer courses, such that those doing computer courses reported more positive and less negative reactions. The practical and theoretical implications of these results are discussed.     

The moderating effects of gender on e-commerce systems adoption factors: An empirical investigation

For e-commerce designers and human–computer interaction researchers, electronic commerce (e-commerce) systems adoption factors and the moderating effects of gender are important topics. Even though there are research endeavors to explain e-commerce systems adoption, one of the main questions to be answered is regarding the normative and affective factors based on the theory of reasoned action and self-determination theory. In this paper, social norms, perceived enjoyment, and their relationships to intention to adopt an e-commerce system are tested (n = 322). Furthermore, the moderating effects of gender are tested based on the sociolinguistic literature. As expected, the influence of social norms is stronger in the female group while the influence of enjoyment is stronger in the male group. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed in the paper.     

The online framing effect: the moderating role of warning,brand familiarity,and product type

This study examines the framing effect on online consumer purchase intention. Three framing effect moderators—warning type (text-based/picture-based), brand familiarity (familiar/unfamiliar), and product type (utilitarian/hedonic)—were considered. The results demonstrated that a positive frame message could create more favorable preferences toward the product than a negative frame message could. Further, consumers with text-based warnings who received positive framing messages had higher purchase intentions toward the target product than did those receiving negative framing messages. However, the online framing effect was not significant for consumers receiving picture-based warnings. Moreover, the online framing effect was significant for consumers familiar with the brand. Finally, positive messages resulted in higher purchase intention for hedonic rather than utilitarian products. This study further examined gender differences in framing effects and found women exhibited greater framing effects than men under the negative frame. The findings provide guidance for designing appropriate product strategy to induce online consumer purchase intentions that favor online retailers.     

Children's Internet information seeking,life satisfaction,and loneliness: The mediating and moderating role of self-esteem

This study investigated the longitudinal associations between children's Internet information seeking, life satisfaction, and feelings of loneliness as well as the mediating and moderating role of self-esteem in these associations. A total of 455 Chinese elementary school students participated in two waves of a survey with a 6-month interval, and 19 of these students participated in focus group interviews. The results indicated that seeking school- and life-related information on the Internet predicted more life satisfaction and less loneliness through improved self-esteem. Furthermore, self-esteem moderated the effects of Internet information seeking on loneliness. Internet information seeking predicted less loneliness only for children with low self-esteem. A moderating role of self-esteem in the associations between Internet information seeking and life satisfaction was not found in this study.     

Internet use and verbal aggression: The moderating role of parents and peers

This research investigated the influence of parent–adolescent communication quality, as perceived by the adolescents, on the relationship between adolescents’ Internet use and verbal aggression. Adolescents (N = 363, age range 10–16, M_T1 = 12.84, SD = 1.93) were examined twice with a six-month delay. Controlling for social support in general terms, moderated regression analyses showed that Internet-related communication quality with parents determined whether Internet use is associated with an increase or a decrease in adolescents’ verbal aggression scores over time. A three way interaction indicated that high Internet-related communication quality with peers can have disadvantageous effects if the communication quality with parents is low. Implications on resources and risk factors related to the effects of Internet use are discussed.     

Workplace user frustration with computers: an exploratory investigation of the causes and severity

When hard-to-use computers cause users to become frustrated, it can affect workplace productivity, user mood and interactions with other co-workers. Previous research has examined the frustration that students and their families face in using computers. To learn more about the causes and measure the severity of user frustration with computers in the workplace, we collected modified time diaries from 50 workplace users, who spent an average of 5.1 hours on the computer. In this exploratory research, users reported wasting on average, 42 – 43% of their time on the computer due to frustrating experiences. The largest number of frustrating experiences occurred while using word processors, email and web browsers. The causes of the frustrating experiences, the time lost due to the frustrating experiences, and the effects of the frustrating experiences on the mood of the users are discussed in this paper. Implications for designers, managers, users, information technology staff and policymakers are discussed.     

Computerized versus standard personality measures: Equivalency,computer anxiety,and gender differences

Undergraduate students were administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Purpose in Life Test (PIL) in either paper-and-pencil or computer-administered format. Prior to administration, all subjects completed the Computer Anxiety Rating Scale (CARS). State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Phobos Mathematics Anxiety Inventory (PHOBOS) in their original paper-and-pencil formats. For those subjects who received the personality tests via computer administration, high CARS scores were associated with higher BDI scores and lower PIL scores, even when state, trait, and mathematics anxiety were partialled out. The results suggest that standardized normative distributions on personality tests may not be applicable to computerized personality tests (CPT).